WMATA potential expansions (Arlington, Alexandria, Centreville: 2013, employment, gated)

[Joke Insurance]

All the information on here was based off the first meeting back in October of last year. Skim through it and you'll see what they're suggesting:

http://planitmetro.com/wp-content/up...2010-FINAL.pdf

And there was another meeting in May of this year. Again, skim through it and you'll see what they're suggesting. This one has more potential expansions listed than the previous:

http://planitmetro.com/wp-content/up...07_Meeting.pdf


Thoughts?

[stpickrell]

The Brown Line runs through rich people country, and there'll be a LOT of opposition.

The Purple Line is duplicating some of the Beltway Line efforts. I'm surprised they didn't try to extend it down to the Green Line, though.

I'd prefer to see the Green Line extended north to Fort Meade and the Blue Line extended south to Fort Belvoir. If the Columbia Pike Streetcar proves a success, then I'd like to see something like that for the Mark Center area.

[yankee.peddler]

I don't intend to burst balloons here (I'm as much as a transit enthusiast as the next one); however, unless a radical new allocation of public funds is made or a new source of significant revenue identified, many of these proposals are pipe dreams and will remain little more than fancy drawings on paper.

Metro needs to focus on improving its existing system. Period. More than anything else, this means (for me) investing in a third track along the entire Red Line, the Orange Line between Vienna and Rosslyn, the Silver Line between its western termini and East Falls Church, and all corridors where there are more than one lines sharing tracks (e.g., Blue/Orange/[Silver], Blue/Yellow, and Green/Yellow). I think Metro needs the ability to offer different forms of express service if it's going to handle effectively the region's ever expanding population, employment centers, and demand for transit. A third track would also alleviate current congestion at choke points (e.g., Rosslyn), breakdowns in service when a train is stuck or (my favorite) ONE passenger falls ill, and it would handle the addition of Silver Line trains without adversely affecting Orange or Blue Line service. Heck, it would even allow Metro to talk more seriously about adding new lines or service to existing trackage.

Only then should serious discussions take place about further expansions into Maryland or Virginia.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by yankee.peddler

I don't intend to burst balloons here (I'm as much as a transit enthusiast as the next one); however, unless a radical new allocation of public funds is made or a new source of significant revenue identified, many of these proposals are pipe dreams and will remain little more than fancy drawings on paper.

Metro needs to focus on improving its existing system. Period. More than anything else, this means (for me) investing in a third track along the entire Red Line, the Orange Line between Vienna and Rosslyn, the Silver Line between its western termini and East Falls Church, and all corridors where there are more than one lines sharing tracks (e.g., Blue/Orange/[Silver], Blue/Yellow, and Green/Yellow). I think Metro needs the ability to run express trains if it's going to handle effectively the region's ever expanding population, employment centers, and demand for transit. A third track would also alleviate current congestion at choke points (e.g., Rosslyn), breakdowns in service when a train is stuck or (my favorite) ONE passenger falls ill, and it would handle the addition of Silver Line trains without adversely affecting Orange or Blue Line service. Heck, it would even allow Metro to talk more seriously about adding new lines or service to existing trackage.

Only then should serious discussions take place about further expansions into Maryland or Virginia.

IIUC the size of the tunnels and stations make the addition of additional track to existing lines quite expensive. Its not clear to me that would have superior cost benefit versus adding new lines/connections in the center.

[chariega]

the brown line seems kind of pointless. if anything they should add more tracks and extend the orange line further west to manassas; extend the yellow line south to at least Occoquan/RT 1 on the VA side; and push the green line down to Waldorf.

[yankee.peddler]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

IIUC the size of the tunnels and stations make the addition of additional track to existing lines quite expensive. Its not clear to me that would have superior cost benefit versus adding new lines/connections in the center.

I'm fully aware of the cost. It would be very expensive. At the same time, I think it's vitally necessary if Metro is going to remain viable for decades to come.

The two-track corridors are MAJOR handicaps to expanding the system in order to meet the transit needs of the region. I'm already waiting for 2013 when a passenger gets on board the Silver Line at Wiehle Avenue bound for a job in Tysons, and his train is delayed because of a sick passenger at Potomac Avenue!

And then there's the Blue Line proposal. Most of us know that Metro wants to reroute some Blue Line trains across the river up to Greenbelt in order to relieve "congestion" in the Rosslyn Tunnel. Any rider on the Blue Line knows that this proposal would be disastrous for commuters in Arlington and Alexandria. Every rush-hour Blue Line train from Pentagon bound for Rosslyn, Foggy Bottom, Farragut West, McPherson Square, and Metro Center is packed. Halving the number of Blue Line trains each hour would: 1) send more people onto already overtaxed roadways; and/or 2) send more people through L'Enfant Plaza, which is already a zoo during the morning and evening rush hours.

If Metro invested in a third track along major sections of corridor, then problems like the ones above (e.g., costly delays, tunnel congestion) would disappear or be largely mitigated, and WMATA would have a great deal more flexibility in adding/rerouting lines within the existing system or expand lines to incorporate a greater number of passengers.

[Joke Insurance]

Originally Posted by chariega

the brown line seems kind of pointless. if anything they should add more tracks and extend the orange line further west to manassas; extend the yellow line south to at least Occoquan/RT 1 on the VA side; and push the green line down to Waldorf.

I'd end the western terminus of the Orange Line in Centreville, and let a future VRE serve the people of Gainesville. As for Waldorf, I'd go with LRT instead or just extend metro to Clinton then go with LRT the rest of the way. I guess I am against expanding metro all the way out to Gainesville and Waldorf because of simply long how of a trip it would be from those cities to the central core of the metro system.

[slim04]

Metro expansion plans made without a specific funding plan are utter B.S. WMATA is a quasi public agency that is dependent on various jurisdictions in VA, MD, and DC to fund its operations. They have always put out these pie in the sky expansion plans for the specific purpose of garnering political support from residents that are not well served by current public transportation options.

These plans are not made in good faith, they are made to dupe suckers.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by chariega

the brown line seems kind of pointless. if anything they should add more tracks and extend the orange line further west to manassas; extend the yellow line south to at least Occoquan/RT 1 on the VA side; and push the green line down to Waldorf.

I agree with you about the Yellow Line extension; however, I think those Orange and Green Line extensions might necessitate some restroom installations.

[FindingZen]

I actually think that the Bus Rapid Transit idea presented in the second report could possibly be a successful project in the relative short term. I've seen it work reasonably well in Las Vegas. The "trick" would be to figure out how and where to implement dedicated bus lanes. I do believe that ultimately we will need to expand the Metro and VRE but BRT could be a viable alternative that could receive bipartisan support.